Catalyst
by ethereal damsel
Summary: An orphaned kunoichi becomes the fifth member of Team 7, and a jinchuuriki thaws the icy heart of an Akatsuki member. Two friends are reunited, hearts are broken, and our heros find that both love and death bear darts aiming for human hearts. SasuOC
1. Konoha

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

I've decided to go back and "renovate" the first few chapters of _Catalyst_. If anyone has any suggestions, just review and I'll see what I can do. If you're a new reader of this fic, then all I can say is, "Lucky you. You get to read the new and improved (how can it be new if it's improved?) version of _Catalyst_." Keep checking back for notes from me in the next few chapters; once I've finished working on them, I'll discuss the changes I've made and my plans for the future.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, because this fic is not, nor is it in any way associated with an underground copyright infringement. I love you Masashi Kishimoto. (>'.')> The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

That said, enjoy. :3

* * *

"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke: I would like to introduce you to the new member of Team 7. This is Kanzaki Kaya," Hatake Kakashi said. 

A girl with chestnut-colored hair stepped out from behind Kakashi. She had steely-blue eyes that shifted from their currently downcast position to meeting Team 7's curious stares reluctantly.

"Um…hello."

"I'm Haruno Sakura!" said the lively girl with bobbed pink hair. "And this is Naruto," she added in a clipped manner, jerking her thumb towards the boy with quill-like blond hair and strange dark marks like whiskers on his cheeks.

"I'm going to be the next Hokage!" he said, grinning proudly.

Kaya looked towards the third member of Team 7 for some sort of greeting.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He gave her no more than his name, and an impenetrable gaze.

Kaya looked at him. His skin was pale, especially in contrast to his tousled raven hair. And his eyes…they were blacker than jet. She smiled slightly. On his face, there was a ghost of a smile, quickly gone.

During this brief greeting, Sakura was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"Well, uh, welcome to Konoha! Can I give her a tour, Kakashi?"

"Go ahead, Sakura," said Kakashi resignedly, picking up "Flirting Paradise".

Sakura grabbed Kaya roughly by the shoulder, whisking her away from Sasuke.

"I'll take you to the ramen bar, shall I?"

"Ah, okay…"

"You can't stop me from joining you, Sakura-chan! Not when I'm hungry," Naruto cried, leaping to her side.

"Are you coming, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura hopefully of the dark-haired boy.

"Nothing better to do."

"Alright, it's settled then. To the village!" said Naruto enthusiastically.

"This, Kaya, is the home of the best stuff on earth," proclaimed Naruto. "Ichiraku."

The four of them entered.

"Hey, could I please have four bowls of ramen, on the house? We have a guest today," Naruto asked of the man behind the ramen bar. "And I'm out of meal tickets…" he added, mumbling almost inaudibly.

"Not today, Naruto. You see, the dishes are dirty. If you and your friends were to clean them for me, I'm sure I could compromise."

"Of course we'll clean them!" said Naruto happily. Anything for ramen.

"Come over here to the sink then," the man said. "I'm glad to have found some help."

Naruto walked behind the bar and Kaya followed. Sasuke went after, and Sakura came last, reluctantly.

"Clean these dishes and the ramen is yours." The man left the room.

"It's been nice meeting you all," said Kaya uncertainly.

"I suppose you're wondering what we're all like?" Sakura inquired. Without waiting for an answer, she went on. "Well, we're all Genins. Naruto is basically the idiot of Team 7. I'm the smart, studious one. And Sasuke-kun is…amazing." Here Sakura blushed and giggled.

Naruto, feeling a bit left out, deemed the time was right for him to jump into the conversation. "I'm going to be Konoha's next Hokage," he reiterated, grinning proudly.

"That's nice," said Kaya, suppressing the urge to laugh. Naruto certainly was forward.

"What about you?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well," said Kaya, caught off guard. "I like to read…I find history fascinating…and I like to write, poetry mostly."

"That's…interesting," Sakura said. This girl could barely string a sentence together in the presence of others.

Naruto blinked stupidly, but then spoke. "Sasuke, aren't you going to explain yourself?" he said reprovingly.

Sasuke said nothing, only staring haughtily at Naruto as he continued washing the dishes.


	2. Shock

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Okay, renovation part 2...I rewrote the hospital scene and completely kicked Itachi out of the story. If you just started reading _Catalyst_, the next few chapters won't make much sense because I've compressed a few chapters, so just bear with me here...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

That evening, Team 7 walked home together. 

"Thank you for the ramen. It was the best I ever tasted," said Kaya gratefully.

"I'm glad you liked it, Kaya," Naruto said, grinning widely. "I told you Ichiraku's was the best."

"So, you will be training with us tomorrow, then?" asked Sakura. "Yes, actually. My parents have gone away on…business, and they are friends of Kakashi-san's. He agreed to take care of my training while they are gone, for their trip will be long-term, they said."

"You sound as if you don't know what this _business_ of your parents is."

"You're right, they didn't tell me. As you can see from my forehead protector, I am of the Village of Cloud. They are Jounins there, and cannot always tell me of their missions. I suspect that this one is an A-rank…"

"You're from the Village of Cloud?" Naruto asked enthusiastically. "That's in the Country of Lightning, isn't it? Do you use Lightning Element ninjutsu?"

"Yes."

"Cool! You'll have to show it to me sometime."

"Sure," said Kaya, laughing. At least one of her temporary team members was nice to her, even if he was a bit brash. "Well, Kakashi-san found me a place to stay. I'm going to head home now."

* * *

Being, as Kaya had said, a friend of the Kanzaki family, Kakashi had managed to secure Kaya a little house on the outskirts of the village along with some simple furnishings. That evening, she sat at her desk of cherry wood, writing away the afternoon hours. Her temporary home was small, with only one bedroom. It suited her just fine, though. She thought it felt cozier, less empty that way. There was a little feather bed in one corner, and a desk and chair were in the other, with a tiny crimson paper lantern above. 

She thought about the members of Team 7. Naruto was rambunctious, but genial nonetheless. Sakura was a bit too flirtatious for Kaya's liking, but Kaya wasn't one to judge. Sasuke, however, seemed indifferent to nearly everyone's existence.

* * *

The next day, the collective members of Team 7 congregated at the village bridge and awaited their ever-tardy Sensei, Kakashi. Kaya looked off into the meadows beyond the river as she waited, a pensive expression on her face. 

"What are you thinking of, Kaya?" Sakura asked of her curiously.

"Oh...Konoha is a wonderful village. I am privileged to be here. But I worry about my parents."

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared in a puff of sooty smoke. Naruto and Sakura turned upon him to berate him of his lateness, when they saw that his expression was grim.

"Kaya," he said solemnly, "I need to speak with you. Alone."

He led her to the edge of the wood beyond the bridge, out of earshot of the other Genins. Kaya watched him anxiously, for he was looking at her with an expression that vaguely conveyed pity.

"Kaya," he said again, as though he believed his summons to have fallen on deaf ears.

"What is it, Kakashi-san?"

"Your parents are…dead."

"What?"

"They were slain during an A-rank recon mission in the Sound."

"No…"

Kakashi looked at the young girl remorsefully. A crow cawed mournfully somewhere. But she heard nothing.

* * *

Kaya drifted in and out of consciousness, enduring a brief and disconcerting half-life of feverish, muttering voices. 

"Kaya?" This one was a boy's voice, a deep one. "Kaya?" Her eyelids were so heavy, and the bed was so warm…should she not sleep a little longer, and be enveloped by it? But no, she was so close to being conscious this time…she opened her eyes.

She was in a hospital ward with tiled floors and blank white walls. There were packets of instant ramen littering her stiff white sheets. And in a chair at the side of her bed was the boy with the tousled raven hair.

"Oh, good, you're awake," he said. "You've been out for almost two days." Kaya stared dazedly at him for a few moments before remembering the grievous tidings Kakashi had brought her.

And then she wept. She wept long and quietly, though she wished to wail aloud, to scream, to writhe and flail at her stiff white sheets, and to continue this cycle of anguish unto the ending of the world.

All this time, Sasuke watched her almost unblinkingly, transfixed.

Soon however, she collapsed back onto her bed, unshed tears still shining in eyes too weak to shed them. She bit her lip so hard that it bled, and suddenly turned her head towards Sasuke.

"Sometimes I feel there is naught that I can do; that I am destined to forever be weak," she said to him hoarsely. "What use is anything but pure brutality in this world?"

Sasuke continued to stare at her.

"But I cannot say such things," she admonished herself. "I cannot even allow myself to think such things. Because in turning upon those you hate in like manner in which they turn upon you, you become no better than they, and perhaps worse. It has always been so."

And with those final words, she silently drifted back into her fitful slumber.


	3. Tragedy

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Renovation Part 3: I've gotten rid of the whole mission to find Konohamaru's cat thing; that was really just filler and served no real purpose. At the time I started this fic, I had just started watching Naruto and still hadn't understood the nuances of all the characters' personalities, so I wasn't sure what to write. Therefore, I bided my time with filler. Crappy filler. I've also redone the whole target practice thing, so Sasuke seems a lot more in-character now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

When Kaya opened her eyes again, the entirety of Team 7 stood before her. She smiled feebly at them. 

"Kakashi-sensei told us of your…loss," said Sakura. "We are sorry."

"Th—thank you," Kaya stammered, her voice trembling. "Kakashi-san…is there any chance that you might know…how it happened?"

"They had informed me that they were going on an A-ranked mission in the Sound Country," replied Kakashi. "It was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission for your mother and the conclusion to a long and tiring search for your father. Unfortunately, some of Orochimaru's spies discovered their operation, and they were ambushed, along with their companions. Everyone was killed."

Kaya's lip trembled, but she held back her tears. "I see," she said levelly. _This is the way of the ninja. To face tragedy with stoicism. _

"All that was recovered was this," said Kakashi, handing Kaya a trench coat with large brown stains on it. "It was cleaned, but not all the stains could be removed."

"I see," Kaya said flatly again, taking it in her hands. She noticed with a pang of grief that Kakashi had purposefully neglected to say that the large brown stains were the dried blood of her parents. This was her mother's jacket.

"Kaya," began Kakashi again, "Some time before you were born, the Cloud and the Leaf were allies. When I was in the ANBU, your mother and I went on many missions together and became good friends. When she married your father and you were born, they entrusted me with your life should anything happen to them, as I was the family's greatest friend. There were none to take their place, for they were the last of the Kanzaki clan."

"Yes…I too was informed of this."

"Well, due to the circumstances upon us, I'll be taking you under my wing. You'll be a Konoha ninja and a member of Team 7." He handed Kaya a Konoha hitai-ate.

"Very well." She took down her long hair and tied her new hitai-ate in the place of the old one, as a barrette. The old one she tied snugly around her left arm, and slipped her mother's jacket on over top of it.

"I'll be expecting you at the village bridge tomorrow."

"Goodbye…Sensei."

* * *

The next few weeks passed swiftly, as ripples in a rapidly moving stream. Everything seemed to fleet by to Kaya; the good times and the bad seemed to run off of her as water does a rock. She tried to be happy, to smile now and again. And she was happy, and she did smile, now and again. But she always carried with her the ponderous stone that was her grief, and wore her mother's coat. And no matter the task, her thoughts were always drawn back to her parents. 

They had been more precious to her than her own life. Her mother had been a member of the reconnaissance unit of the Cloud and her father had been a hunter-nin. Her mother had taught her all she knew of information gathering and scouting tactics and Kaya had admired her in the highest regard. Due to his prodigious skill, her father became one of the highest ranking hunter-nin in the history of Lightning Country, and thus could never show his face, even in the village. She'd never seen his face, only the amber eyes that stared intensely from the slits of his mask. When she was very small, she would laugh at it; it made him look like some sort of harlequin! A sad clown with no face, only a façade of pale wood striped with crimson. Despite this, she and her parents had been a close-knit trio. But no more.

_This is the way of the ninja. To face tragedy with stoicism. _She ever repeated this proverb of the first Raikage to herself, and strove to uphold it, but she could not stem the flow of the tears that streamed down her cheeks into the small hours of the morning. She tried writing her emotions away, but stories would not flow from her trembling hands. She tried tiring her eyes and forgetting the world by reading, but the noblest heroes of her favorite yarns could not deliver her. Finally tired by a sluggish despair, she fell into a fitful slumber each night, praying for the dawn.

One day, Kaya arrived at the village bridge to find that Sakura and Naruto were not there.

"Sensei," she asked curiously, "where are Naruto-kun and Sakura?"

"Well, Sakura's sick and I asked Naruto to run a quick errand for me. You and Sasuke can go and train on your own for a while."

"Should I set up the targets in that clearing in the pines not far from here so that we can have a target practice?"

"Excellent idea, Kaya. I'll just wait here for Naruto's return…"

So the two of them set off and began the day's training. Kaya pulled both kunai and shuriken from her pouch and holster, attempting all the different methods of attack she had read in the textbook Kakashi had lent her. There really were endless possibilities, what with all the different twitches of arm and shoulder muscles that determined whether the weapon hit the target directly, at a curve, or whether it hit it at all. Kaya knew that she was partaking in the most basic skills training. These were the fundamentals that the academy had pounded into them from day one, but there was always room for improvement. Weapons such as these were not only utilized as a single unit; they oftentimes became part of a much larger, elaborate plan, a plan of such a nature that she and her teammates' lives depended on it.

She tried to drown her thoughts in the myriad attack formations and stratagems she had learnt from Kakashi's book, but memories of the practices she had undergone with her mother continually surfaced. She found that her hands were shaking, and she could not master herself. So she sat upon the ground, head in hands.

"Kaya?" said Sasuke, putting away his weapons and approaching her. But she could not answer him, for she knew her voice would tremble and she would not show such weakness…_This is the way of the ninja. To face tragedy with stoicism…_but her tears were already welling at an alarming rate.

"Kaya?" he repeated, with a slight note of concern in his voice this time, for she had not yet lifted her head. Kaya then realized that she must say something to him. She lifted her head, her eyes shining with tears.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this…if there is one way of the ninja I have not even begun to master, it is that of stoicism," she said finally, her voice trembling as she knew it would.

"There's no need to apologize," replied Sasuke flatly.

"Sorry. Er, I mean...never mind. You see, I used to undergo practices like this one with my mother, and just the thought of her…well, everything reminds me of my parents, really. Dawn, dusk, moonrise…" she trailed off, blushing. "I tend to lapse into poetry like that sometimes, I apologize."

"It really doesn't matter," said Sasuke.

"Have you ever lost someone you loved?"

Sasuke was silent. "Yes," he finally replied.

"These feelings of anguish and despair...they come to an end, do they not?"

"In time…I felt my heart harden. I found myself becoming something I never thought I'd be. As for your question, I cannot answer it. Only you know when you will finally be at peace. I know when I will be."

Kaya slowly stood up and brushed herself off.

"Thank you," she said, more firmly now. "You speak a truth that I could not see in the gloom of my bereavement."

"You're welcome."

* * *

And so the weeks passed. Kaya came to know Team 7 and each of the subtle nuances that graced their personalities. And they likewise came to know her. She began to understand the geography of Konoha and Fire Country. Although she ever carried with her the grief she had come to know so well, she rested easier at night. 

And another feeling had developed within her. She could not explain how it had come into being; it had blossomed in secret, like a seed one sows absentmindedly within a plot of weeds and does not notice until it comes into flower. She thought of it incessantly, attempting in vain to analyze its origins.

Ever since the day she had spoken to Sasuke of her grief, she had felt strange around him. She caught herself gazing at him for abnormally long periods of time. She thought of him constantly. And if he so much as called her name, she could feel her face flush and her pulse quicken. She tried to dismiss it as her usual shyness, but she knew deep down that it was entirely different. Being but twelve years of age, she did not see it for what it was. Love.


	4. Vacation

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Renovation Part 4: Okay, so Orochimaru is now kicked out of the plot too...until the new arc. (He'll play a major role in that.) I also moved the scene where Sasuke tells Kaya to promise him a certain something to after the beach scene. And I think I compressed two chapters in to one. Other than that, things are pretty much the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

About a month and a half after her parents' deaths, Kakashi (who had arrived at the village bridge late, as usual) came to his students with an unusual proposition. 

"I've decided that we could all use a break." The four of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" queried Sakura.

"I mean a vacation. All of you could use one." He looked purposefully at Kaya as he said this. "Now, go get packed. We leave as soon as you're all ready."

"This is utterly spontaneous!" Sakura cried. "Why, there's so much to do, Kakashi-sensei! Couldn't you give us at least one day?"

"Now Sakura," said Kakashi calmly, "it is very uncommon for a ninja to get a break, especially a Jounin. We must be off as soon as possible."

"Very well, Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura said sulkily.

And so everyone left to pack, except for Kaya.

"Sensei?" she said quietly.

"Yes, Kaya?"

"You didn't have to do this, you know."

"I know."

"But is it not the way of the ninja, to face tragedy with stoicism?"

"It is…and it is not. Even talented young kunoichi have a right to weep when those they love are taken from them," answered Kakashi, after some thought.

"Thank you, Sensei. I cannot help but weep."

"Now go get your things. The others will be waiting."

* * *

Once everyone had packed and returned from their homes, the five of them set off. They walked in an easterly direction, beyond the village gates and into the land that bore no name, land that had no divisions and few towns. Towns that had no ninja to protect them. 

After nearly half a day of trudging down the dusty road, Team 7 finally reached their destination. Kaya gazed in awe upon the chalky white cliffs and the foaming brine and hearkened to the echoing cry of the herring gull and the ceaseless pound of the surf.

"This is…rather magnificent, Sensei," said Kaya.

"It is indeed," Kakashi replied. After a silence, he said, "Now, you four can do as you like for the rest of the day so long as you return to this spot at nightfall. Enjoy yourselves, and please, do me a favor and try not to kill each other."

And so the four of them went off to engage themselves however they so chose.

After partially scaling the face of one of the white cliffs and coming to a small precipice, Kaya cooled her feet in the pools of water that had collected in the recesses of the chalky rock. The sun's heat made her sleepy, and the tranquil timbre of the surf lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Kaya opened her eyes and blinked owlishly; peering into the Stygian gloom that now surrounded her. There were no silhouettes, nor were there lights to guide her wandering eyes. 

_Am I dead?_ she wondered dimly. She felt strangely sluggish, as though she were drugged. Other than the sound of water dripping somewhere nearby, she was swathed in an unsettling silence.

Suddenly, she felt strong arms clasp her. She looked up into the face of her savior and met a pair of crimson, three-pupiled eyes. She almost cried out, but the pale phantasm placed a hand to her lips to silence her.

They slipped quietly out of the gloomy cavern into what appeared to be a makeshift hallway, carved from the chalky cliffs' stone. Kaya's savior gently laid her against the wall.

"Stay here, Kaya," he said. He needn't have uttered a word, for Kaya had fallen asleep again in his arms.

* * *

Upon awakening, Kaya found that the whole of Team 7 was huddled about her. 

"Finally!" cried Naruto in relief. "It was like she was drugged or something…"

"She was drugged," Kakashi replied matter-of-factly, "by a pair of missing-nin. They were probably bounty hunters, but who knows what their motives were? Well, their motives are of no real importance; the truly important thing is that Kaya is safe."

"Kaya?" said Sakura curiously upon seeing Kaya's eyes open.

"What happened?" Kaya asked groggily. "I was sitting on an outcropping of one of the cliffs when…"

"You were kidnapped by bounty hunters and drugged," Kakashi finished for her.

"Oh…" replied Kaya, a look of dawning comprehension on her face now. "And I was trying to figure out where I was when someone saved me…"

"That was Sasuke," Naruto supplied.

"Ah…" She looked around at them all. "I don't know how to thank you. One of you could've died and—"

"Kaya," said Kakashi flatly. "We are a team. And we would not leave you to torment and perhaps death to save our own skins. No thanks are owed."

Since there was nothing more she could say, Kaya simply smiled at the four of them.

"Well then, time to return to the beaten path and find a place to stay for the night," Kakashi said.

* * *

Once Kakashi had decided upon a satisfactory place to set up camp, they each set about establishing themselves. After Naruto had caught some fish from a nearby stream using his Shadow Replication technique, Kakashi cooked the fish in a fire he had kindled and then they all supped. 

Afterwards, Kaya decided to take a walk in the surrounding forest, for she was restless and had things on her mind. She followed a small dirt path littered with pine needles through dark, imposing trees. Soon she came to a clearing. The sky was dark that night, with hardly any stars. But the moon shone like a lost coin in a pool of black, providing ample light.

There was so much to ponder now, so many ephemeral thoughts rapidly overtaken by disquieting misgivings. What lay ahead for her in the future was unknown to Kaya, but it seemed to her that it was not bright. Though this morbid premonition was quelled somewhat by her trust in her friends, she felt fear growing in her heart, spreading black wings. And there was no one to slay it prematurely.

Kaya sat cross-legged on the springy turf of the clearing for what seemed like hours, musing silently about all she had been through, about the past she wished she could dwell in, and about the ominous shadow of the future. It was not until she truly considered the fact that she was falling into despair that she realized that she had not been alone all this time.

"Uchiha-kun? What are you doing here?"

"Kakashi sent me to get you. You ought to turn in for the night, at least until it is your turn to watch."

"Is there…any other reason you're here?" asked Kaya cautiously.

"No. Follow me back to camp." He began to walk down the pathway, Kaya following in his wake.

"Uchiha-kun, you have been very kind to me. Even when I broke down in the hospital and during practice, you respected my feelings. And now you have saved my life." Sasuke stopped abruptly and turned to face Kaya.

"Kaya…" he began uncertainly, "Promise me something. If ever I were to fall into…darkness, do not follow."

"What do you mean?"

"Promise me you will never blindly cast aside your life for the sake of someone you know is past saving."

"You speak in riddles…"

"Just promise me." His gaze was so hard upon her now, so opaque. People say that eyes are the windows to the human soul, but not Sasuke's. Kaya could liken his gaze to a stone wall, through which nothing is revealed.

"Alright…" He turned from her and said no more, and Kaya felt suddenly very alone and frightened.


	5. Friend

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Renovation Part 5: I cut out the flashback with Kaya's dad in it. (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I decided not to make him Zabuza's brother; I thought I was going to develop that into some sort of plot device but it just didn't work.) I thought that the flashback was somewhat pointless, unless it was simply out of place. I might work it into the plot again in some shape or form.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

The next day, Team 7 arrived at Konoha late in the afternoon. They all headed home; weary with the past day's events. Kaya fell almost directly into blissfully dreamless sleep when she got home. 

Kaya awoke the next morning to see the sunlight streaming through her window amid dancing motes of dust. She slowly extricated herself from her bed sheets, changed into her fishnet shirt and capris, and tied back her curtain of long brown hair with her forehead protector.

It was not until then that the full scope of the days' past events hit her fully. She had been too tired as of yet to have taken on the burden of pondering her self-worth, but now her mind was shouldering that burden as it always did. She tried to stop it from wandering into realms she knew were forbidden. But it never heeded her for long. She distractedly pulled on her mother's coat and her sandals and headed for the village bridge.

The rest of Team 7 was already there. Except for Kakashi, of course. He arrived earlier than usual, and looked around at them all, smiling. Well, they guessed he was smiling because of the way his eye squinted slightly, but they couldn't be sure due to his mask.

"You all performed exceedingly well on our last mission. Even though, technically speaking, it was a vacation. You were all willing to put your lives on the line for each other, which is something I think is commendable. Therefore, I'm taking you all to Ichiraku. My treat."

"Yahoo!" proclaimed Naruto, pumping his fist in the air. "RAMEN!"

Sakura smiled too, and even Sasuke looked vaguely pleased. Kaya was just happy to be able to finally relax and enjoy herself with her friends.

As they all sat at the ramen bar, eating and chatting happily amongst themselves (except for Sasuke), Kaya realized something. The last remnants of her family were no longer in existence and she would never get over the pain of her loss. But sometimes, just conversing with her teammates and her sensei made her feel whole again. Here were a few souls who really, truly cared for her. And dwelling on this thought was enough.

"Kaya? Kaya? Are you okay?" Naruto's fuzzy blond head loomed into her subconscious and dragged her from her speculations.

"Who? Me? Oh yes…yes, I'm fine…" She then noticed that the entirety of Team 7 was looking at her rather concernedly, for she was staring dreamily into space, stirring her miso soup absentmindedly with her finger. "Sorry, I was just thinking…" she added, grinning sheepishly. They all went back to eating, while she returned to her thoughts. All of this reminded her of the first friend she had made, before her parents died and the entire course of her life was changed.

* * *

"Today is your first day of classes at the Academy, Kaya. Now, play nicely with the other children, be attentive to your sensei, and above all, try your best."

"I will, Mother! I shall strive to live up to the Kanzaki name!" declared Kaya as her mother tied back her nearly shoulder-length hair with a violet bow. Her mother had kept it short when she was little.

"I know you will. Go make me proud." Kaya stooped to pick up her school bag and began heading for the door of her family's apartment, but her mother swept her into her arms and kissed her on the cheek. Kaya giggled and her mother laughed too, her eyes, so similar to Kaya's, sparkling.

"You are growing so quickly. It won't be long before you are too tall for me to pick up!"

"No, mother, I'll never grow another inch!" Kaya called as she departed at a run.

Soon she had arrived. She headed directly for room 25, where her sensei and classmates would be congregated, ready to start the first day of their careers as ninjas.

"Welcome!" said her sensei, a tall, dark-haired woman. "And you must be Kanzaki Kaya! It should be interesting to see how you develop. Your family is known for their lightning techniques. Who knows, under my tutelage you may even develop a new one!"

Kaya smiled and then headed for an empty seat by the window. There she withdrew a book from her school bag and began to read.

"What're you doing?" a rather dirty little boy sitting next to her asked curiously.

"I'm reading A Child's History of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Would you like to read some? It's _really_ interesting…" But the boy had already turned to talk to the student on his other side. His apparent disinterest did not dampen her spirits, however. She continued to read avidly, without a care in the world.

"Alright, everyone," called the sensei over her chattering students. "Settle down, settle down…" And so began Kaya's first day at the Academy. She learned some of the basic fundamentals of taijutsu and was introduced to the use of kunai. By lunchtime she felt as though a whole new world of exciting possibilities had flung wide its doors for her.

"I can't _wait_ 'til we learn to execute some of those paralyzing lightning jutsus my dad practices!" the dirty little boy proclaimed. "The chakra goes _zap_ and then your opponent goes BANG and then you can pummel them into a bloody pulp…"

"You know," began Kaya, "that our first Hokage was the one to introduce those jutsus? That's one of the reasons he was hailed as such a genius; he created a whole new branch of defensive lightning techniques…" She trailed off, for no one was listening to her. But she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly as she headed for a picnic table where she could dine on her lunch alone.

Lunch was held outside on picnic tables of pinewood, and in the shade of the very trees that yielded that wood. The Village of Cloud's Academy was built on the fringe of the nearby forest, so that its students would have plenty of room to practice their techniques.

After Kaya had finished her lunch, she asked her teacher if it would be okay to walk a bit farther into the forest during their fifteen-minute break, which was held after lunch. Her teacher said it would be alright, so long as she didn't wander too far, which Kaya assured her would not come to pass. And so, she skipped off into the trees.

After having walked far enough to be surrounded by a relative amount of silence, she sat down beneath a pine and began again to read A Child's History of the Village Hidden in the Clouds.

_The Blitzen Haze technique is one perfected by generations of the Kanzakis, who are the only group of ninjas suited for it. The Kanzakis have no Bloodline Limit, technically speaking, but many of the jutsus they have developed could be considered a sort of group of Bloodline Limit techniques. This is due to the fact that the DNA controlling the structure of their retinas has mutated over the thousands of years they have practiced these jutsus. Their retinas are not imprinted, even temporarily, by any amount of light. _

_Also, due to the nature of their chakra, they can use their own bodies as human capacitors. The chakra in the middle part of their bodies changes its atomic structure in order to act as an insulator, while the top and bottom portions become positively and negatively charged. This is accomplished by the chakra forcibly gaining and losing electrons with the aid of particles in the air. Since they will then have a positively charged top, a middle that acts as an insulator, and a negatively charged bottom, they can conduct electricity. They do so by using their specially structured chakra to absorb solar energy from the sun by way of the _tenketsu_. Once this has been absorbed, the electric field generated by the positive and negative portions of their bodies has such intensity that it repels the negative charges on the earth's surface deeper into the earth. Therefore, the surface is then positively charged. With any normal capacitor, the lightning generated by their bodies would ground itself. But the Kanzakis have the ability to direct the flow of this electricity, using the strength of their chakra. _

"Whatcha readin'?"

Kaya leapt about a foot in the air, startled by a voice she had never heard before. She whipped around to face a girl with gingery hair and strangely yellow eyes.

"Hiya! I'm Kirei!" She was about Kaya's age, but considerably shorter than her. Despite her unusual appearance, she seemed friendly enough.

"Uh…hi!"

"What's your name?"

"Kanzaki Kaya."

"Wanna play with me?"

"Okay!"

They played what seemed to Kaya every game she had ever known: hide and seek, tag, hopscotch, and countless numbers of her other favorites. Kirei never seemed to tire, and when Kirei was around, Kaya didn't either. Too soon it seemed though, that Kaya heard her sensei calling for her.

"C'mon, Kirei!" Kaya called over her shoulder to her newfound friend as she headed back for the school. "Why don't you come with me to the Academy?"

Kirei's face fell, and she began to trace rather elaborate patterns in the dirt pathway to the school with her sandal.

"Don't like it there."

"Why not?"

"Just don't."

"But then we can always play together, Kirei."

Kirei opened her mouth to speak, but—

"Kaya, get away from her!" It was Kaya's sensei, and the expression on her face was one of mixed fury and terror.

"But--but, Sensei—"

"Come with me, this instant! Don't you know who that girl is?"

"Yeah, I do," said Kaya defiantly. "She's Kirei, and she's my best friend."

"No, she's not. You're not to speak with her again," Kaya's sensei said flatly.

"What…?"

"That girl," said her sensei, pointing a shaking finger in Kirei's direction, "is the vessel of a demon."

By this time, Kirei's yellow eyes were welling with tears and her tremulous gaze went from Kaya to her sensei and back again. She turned from them and began running down the path as fast as her short legs would carry her.

"No!" Kaya cried. "Come back!" But before she could follow, her sensei had put an arm on her shoulder.

"I will not let you follow that monster. Let the wretch run to whatever place she wishes to terrorize."

"But…she's my friend…"

Kaya never saw her again.


	6. Bond

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Renovation Part 6: I compressed two chapters into one, but made no other changes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

Kirei awoke to the soft chirping of crickets. The night wind teased the few lonely clouds that graced the heavens and whispered among the meadow grasses, creating a rolling sea of silver. 

She looked up at the moon, a sad grey pearl in a sea of ebony. And she looked to her side to see her companion, still asleep, his crimson cloud-patterned cloak wrapped tight about him and his shaggy fawn hair obscuring his face. Kiyoshi was never asleep. Why did he rest tonight?

So many endless days of training her, no doubt. She really didn't know why the Akatsuki bothered with her, as she didn't seem to be getting any better. She hated them all, anyway. The only person who ever saw her as another equal human being was a little girl named Kanzaki Kaya whom she had befriended one spring day, many years ago, when she was little herself.

Kirei had heard that the girl's parents were dead, killed by the ninja of the Sound, some obscure country Kiyoshi had told her had recently come into being. She was most likely dead too, as her family was apparently the only remnant of the Kanzaki clan left, and she would have nowhere to go, for the Lightning Country was constantly at war, and would have no time to trouble about her.

The Kanzaki were once a very prominent family in the Hidden Village of the Cloud, but the purity of their abilities and their overall importance and number had lessened over the years, as more and more of them died or left the village. The Lightning Country was no stranger to strife and death, for it was significantly weaker than the other countries. _Soon_, Kirei thought,_ its glory days will become a myth just as the Kanzakis did_.

Kiyoshi stirred fitfully in his sleep, and slowly opened his eyes. They were a pale blue, so pale in fact, that they were almost grey. Ever since Kirei had first looked into them she had been somewhat frightened of Kiyoshi. Those eyes had a lonely, haunted look about them that one would not find in the eyes of the other members of Akatsuki. There was humanness in them that did not exist in the others', for theirs were bereft of all emotion, save madness and apathy. She almost felt sorry for him sometimes, wondering if he had suffered some great loss in the past, and then she reminded herself of all the people he must have killed, and her sympathy passed.

"What are you doing up, Kirei? I thought you said you were exhausted."

"I'm just restless, Kiyoshi…" He glared at her. "-sama." She added this to the end of his name, though she really had no respect for him, however strong he was. She continued staring up at the skies, defiantly ignoring him.

"You know, I think you may have actually made some progress today."

Kirei remained silent.

"Don't you ever wonder what we will do with you when you are strong?"

She looked at him contemptuously but did not answer.

"You know that you will never escape and that no one from your pathetic excuse of a village will ever come after you. You are truly alone."

"No," said Kirei, "I'm not." Kiyoshi looked at her oddly.

"What do you mean?"

"I've got you, idiot that you may be." She had no idea why she voiced this notion, maybe just to watch Kiyoshi squirm.

But he didn't. Instead, he gazed almost sadly across the meadow. Why he did was a complete mystery to Kirei, for he had no attachment to her at all, nor she to him. Yet again, she felt that sudden annoying rush of sympathy for him. _Sympathy for what? _she wondered to herself. _For him having to be my caretaker and having to put up with me? I haven't known anyone that has tolerated my presence for as long as he has, except for Kaya. But that's stupid. He has no choice but to care for me as his ward, and doesn't give a crap about my existence. So why does he look so sad?_

* * *

Kirei sat cross-legged upon the ground, the meadow grasses tickling her legs. It was morning of the next day, and a swelteringly hot sun beat down upon her back and caused her forehead to bead with sweat that rolled down her face. She brushed it off distractedly.

_Concentrate!_ she cried in her mind. _Concentrate!_

"Alright," said Kiyoshi resignedly. "Enough."

"But, Kiyoshi!" Kirei protested. "I can do it! I—I just—"

"There is no need to practice something a regular ninja your age would never dream of attempting if you cannot raise yourself above that stereotype," he replied flatly.

"It's not a kinjutsu, is it?"

"No. But it's somewhat frightening to most because jutsus of this sort enable you to channel the spirits of the dead."

"Yes, you've already told me that," replied Kirei agitatedly. "But once I gain this skill…what would I be capable of?"

"You will be able to be possessed by the spirits of those long gone. But you will not inherit their full ability. It is only a partial possession. Some of their powers will pass to you, if only briefly, for the most powerful possessions take massive amounts of chakra and the powers you do inherit will be incomplete and fleeting. For its unreliability, this is not a widely practiced group of jutsus…not many are willing to cross the paths of the dead…but you, Kirei, are the grand experiment."

"Oh, I see," Kirei declared sardonically. "I get to go through all this crap so that you and your merry band of maniacs can go and slaughter more innocent people." Kiyoshi nodded unfeelingly.

"Well, ya know what?" said Kirei loudly. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of training, I'm tired of the Akatsuki, and I'm tired of you. I know that you can't kill me because your other flowery-cloaked buddies would sooner have your head on a stick, so this is it. I refuse to go on."

Kiyoshi said nothing.

"Geez, just say something, will ya? React to my impudence. Do _something_, anything at all!" But Kiyoshi remained silent.

"You know," Kirei continued, "You're the worst part of this mess I'm stuck in. You're the only human being that has ever stayed within ten feet of me for more than a day. Even though I know you have no choice but to stick with me in this situation, I thought maybe someday I would learn something or do something for you that would at least make you acknowledge my existence…but I'm being stupid. I mean, you're in _Akatsuki_, for crying out loud! I should know better; you guys can't feel, much less predict the emotional effects of certain situations on other people."

Finally, Kiyoshi spoke: "I must admit that you do show promise in this area, but it will take many long, painful practice sessions for you to accomplish even simple channeling. If you are willing to endure such sessions, I will gladly keep you under my tutelage. But I have to know for sure: are you so willing?"

"I am," answered Kirei defiantly.

"Very well then. Rest now, and we will continue your training this afternoon."

Kirei looked for a tree beneath which she could find shade from the blistering sun and smiled inwardly to herself.

* * *

After weapons practice that day, Kakashi drew Kaya away from the rest of their team.

"What is it, Sensei? If you're wondering that I haven't improved with my shuriken, I can assure you I've been practicing. But if it's not enough—"

"No, no Kaya. It's not that. You're doing wonderfully."

"Thank you, Sensei. By the way, I've been having trouble with that certain way you showed us to put a curving sort of spin on a shuriken; you know, it was a sort of wrist flick—" And she proceeded to demonstrate, but Kakashi stopped her.

"Listen to me, Kaya. There's something I wanted to tell you."

Kaya looked at him, but his expression told her nothing of the nature of his tidings.

"You had a friend once; Kirei was her name."

"Yes…" Kaya looked at him questioningly. How did he know about her?

"And you did know that she was a jinchuuriki, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, she's not dead, if that's what you've thought all these years. She's alive. And she's been apprenticed by the new sixteen-year-old member of the Akatsuki."


	7. Recollection

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Renovation Part 7: I only made minor changes in sentence structure and dialogue.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

Snow draped its frigid form over the Village of Mist that night some years ago. The cruel, biting mantle of white enveloped all in its frigid embrace and lay thick in the hollows of the pine trees, trees sometimes likened to bent old men, for these pines were ever burdened with the snowfall of an unforgiving landscape.

A solitary figure passed like a shadow beneath the creaking boughs, seeking shelter and finally finding it beneath the drooping limbs of a rather ancient-looking pine, against its weathered bole.

The figure pulled its cloak tighter against its slight frame, the frame of a boy not yet a man, thirteen or fourteen years of age, one would have to guess. He peered out from his temporary refuge upon the barren landscape, his eyes almost white as the snow that covered it, but with the faintest hint of icy blue. His wandering gaze suddenly fell upon what most people would mistake for a ragged bundle of cloth. But he knew it was not just cloth, for it suddenly twitched a bit, though it continued to lay motionless afterwards.

_Who would wander so clothed on such a night?_ the boy mused. He then left the tree to approach the bedraggled creature and see what it might be.

When he saw the creature up close, he discovered what it really was: a blue-tinged little girl. He picked her up and carried her to the pine where he warmed her with his body heat.

She soon came to and turned her pale yellow eyes upon him.

"Who are you?" she asked nervously, apparently frightened.

For no apparent reason, at least in his mind, he told her his name: "Kiyoshi of Hidden Rain."

Assured by his forthrightness, the girl told him her name: "I'm Kirei! I belong to no village. And I answer to no one!" She grinned up at him, and he smiled slightly down at her.

"What are you doing in the Hidden Mist, Kirei?"

"What are _you _doing? It's only polite for the stranger to state his business first."

"I'm looking for some…acquaintances of mine. I have information for them."

"What kind of information?"

"Secret information."

"Are you evil?"

Kiyoshi paused. "Yes."

Now it was Kirei's turn to pause. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you stay with me, Kirei?" said Kiyoshi abruptly. "I'll look after you. Unless, you've got somewhere to go…?"

"No. My only friend was forbidden to speak with me a few years ago. I'll come with you."

"Can you walk?" Kiyoshi asked of her.

"Not really. My legs gave out some time ago."

"Fine. I'll carry you."

"Really? Oh, oh, piggyback, please!"

Kiyoshi looked down at Kirei pensively. She seemed to have grown up quickly, from what he could gather. But there was an element of the child she could have been that still dwelt within her. He then hefted her onto his shoulders and carried her through the wood.


	8. Kinship

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Renovation Part 8: I only moved a bit of the beginning of the next chapter to the end of this one. This was simply because I like it better as the ending of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

The next few days fleeted by, at least for Kiyoshi. Kirei managed to master herself and focus entirely on the task at hand, her instruction in the channeling of spirits. She even managed to channel a jutsu from some long-dead ninja: the water clone technique. Though she was unable to recall the same phantom technique again, the fact that she had been able to conjure up a jutsu at all was amazing in so short a period of time. 

"Thought I couldn't do it, eh, Kiyoshi-sama? Thought I was a hopeless case?" she had said, smirking. Kiyoshi, of course, had uttered not a word. But he had nodded his head in assent, an action that surprised Kirei as much as her now seemingly existent ability to concentrate. She could not know how much her remote, taciturn companion truly treasured her existence.

* * *

"So, Kiyoshi. You say you have mastered that rock element technique I imparted to you?" 

"Yes, Mamoru-sensei. I can demonstrate it to you if you like."

"Very well."

The tall and slender youth Kiyoshi had been at the time of his first meeting of Kirei was here in his old village. He seemed quite similar to the older Kiyoshi on first glance, but he then had a much lankier figure, and his eyes did not have the haunted look in them Kirei had grown to know and pity.

This Kiyoshi clasped both of his hands together and performed a series of complex seals before saying quietly, "Rock Element: Earthen Bastion."

A towering wall of clay mixed with slate erected itself from the very ground before Kiyoshi's feet.

"Excellent!" exalted Mamoru, with somewhat of a greedy glint in his eye. "If you continue to progress in such a fashion as this, you may even surpass the greatest of the Aoyama clan!"

"This is no great feat," Kiyoshi returned dismissively. "Only when it is constructed of pure adamant stone will I accept your praise. Until then, I must continue my training." With a wave of Kiyoshi's hand, his technique was dispelled and the great earthen wall seemed to crumble upon itself.

"Nii-san! Nii-san!" cried a small, impatient voice.

"If you will excuse me," Kiyoshi said to his sensei before taking his leave of him. He dashed off towards the source of the indignant cry, and found himself in the company of a tiny girl with tousled brown hair and icy blue eyes much like his own.

"Nii-san, you promised."

"Promised what?"

"You promised me a trip to the lake!"

"How could you think I'd forgotten?" said Kiyoshi grinning and pulling on his comrade's ponytail. "I had no idea my own sister thought so little of me."

"I don't, nii-san! I had no idea you thought so little of _me_!" The little girl's eyes welled with angry tears.

"No, Takara! Come now, I was only joking."

"Oh, good!" the girl whose name was Takara piped. "Well, in that case…" She kicked Kiyoshi in the shin, which was the highest point her stubby leg could reach. He commenced to laugh, with a pained sort of smile on his face.

"Well, aren't we going to the lake? Or will I have to kick you again?"

"Oh no, that's not necessary…"

As they walked in the direction of Lake Amaya, the loveliest mere in all of Hidden Rain, Kiyoshi looked down at Takara who looked back up at him, scowling. But Kiyoshi smiled at her, gently. She seemed to take this as sufficient penance for his actions, for she too smiled, and their walk continued peacefully.

Once they arrived, Kiyoshi led Takara to the edge of the lake and they sat upon the loamy soil and thick grasses.

"Here of old was the home of the Aoyama clan," said Kiyoshi.

"Our clan?"

"Yes. They dwelt here, a symbol of strength undimmed. At that time, no one dared challenge Hidden Rain, for it was protected by sentinels that fought with the very bones of the earth."

"Why don't _we_ live here, full of 'strength undimmed'?"

"Well, the fate of our clan is very similar to that of what the Kanzaki clan of the Cloud suffers now. Slowly, the strength of our line waned, for we grew arrogant and foolhardy in the peace that had settled upon our home. The other villages came to know this, and knew that if there were to be any time in which the Rain was vulnerable, it was now. So they attacked. And thus, we came to one of the great wars of our time. Like the Kanzakis have commenced to do now, members of our clan left the village or died in the long watches of the night. Soon it came to the point where the Aoyama clan consisted of but one man, our father, who married a kunoichi and then brought us into being. But during a night raid, around the time I was starting at the Academy, our parents perished, and I was left with nothing but our humble home and my troublemaking little sister."

"But things have turned out alright, haven't they?"

"Yes, they have, Takara." He smiled at her again. "Well, it's getting late and you should be in bed soon. Besides, I have to go with my sensei to some meeting."

"A meeting? What for?"

"I believe it is about my joining the ANBU."

"ANBU! Wow, nii-san, that's great! You've got to be the youngest ever, 'cuz you're only thirteen."

"Yes, I am…"

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…I'm not sure I want to be. In ANBU, I mean. Our village has been involved in many underhanded dealings lately…and I don't think I want to be a part of that."

"Oh."

"I shall strive to do my best, though. Come now, let's head home."

* * *

That evening, Kiyoshi attended the ANBU meeting with Mamoru. _It honors me_, he had thought to himself. _And yet I still am wary. I still do not like it. _Many of the members seemed edgy and agitated; Kiyoshi had learnt long ago that if he were to be accepted by the ANBU, it was better to let Mamoru-sensei do all of the talking. These ninja did not take well to inquisitive young people, even those who had been endowed with the talent of their clan more than any other. 

But the very air seemed thick with tension that night, an unnatural tension one did not often find among the even-minded members of the Assassination and Tactics Special Squad. Kiyoshi felt it, and he guessed that Mamoru felt it as well, for there was pallor about his swarthy face.

But Kiyoshi was accepted, as he knew he would be.

* * *

"Nii-san, did they accept you?" Takara asked anxiously, upon Kiyoshi's arrival home. 

"Yes."

"I'm glad for you," Takara said, smiling. But inexplicably, her smile faded.

"What's the matter?" asked Kiyoshi concernedly, for his sister seemed suddenly quite glum.

"Well…you've always told me ANBU was a very demanding organization. Now that you're a part of it, I won't see you as much. What will happen to our walks through the village and to Lake Amaya? Who will take care of me?"

"We'll still take walks together, if not as often. And I've arranged for someone in the village to care for you in the case of my absence."

"But it won't be the same," Takara answered obstinately. "It will never be the same."

"I know," said Kiyoshi sadly. "But this, Takara, is the way of the ninja. And for us in Hidden Rain, there is no other way."

"You're right, as usual."

There was a silence that passed between the two of them.

"But just you wait and see," Takara said defiantly. "I'll catch up to you, and then we'll be in the ANBU together."

"So, I'll never be rid of you?" said Kiyoshi, laughing.

"Never," Takara answered, grinning.


	9. Freedom

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

Final Renovation (Part 9): I compressed two chapters. The next chapter will be the last (of _Catalyst_, that is). The new arc will be published under another title. The final chapter of _Catalyst_ will be up within the next week. Until then, stay tuned. And while you're waiting, it wouldn't hurt to review and suggest ideas and titles for the new arc. :3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

So the weeks passed, with many comings and goings. Kiyoshi found all of his ANBU missions to be a breeze, though they tried his teammates to the very limits of their powers. Advancing quickly through the ranks, he soon became an ANBU captain. But as his importance grew, his time spent with Takara diminished. He almost resented himself for his talent, but then reminded himself that, as he had said to Takara, there was no other way. She had greatly inherited the Aoyama clan's power as well, so in some years' time, she would join him. Perhaps she would be in the same division as him, even the same team. These thoughts comforted him, and in telling them to his sister, she too was comforted. 

One night, Kiyoshi went home, expecting to see Takara standing in the doorway impatiently, perhaps to reprimand him about taking so long on his latest mission. Instead, he found his old teacher, Mamoru, there.

"Good evening, Mamoru-sensei. I take it Takara is inside…?"

There was a grim expression on Mamoru's face.

"Kiyoshi, I would like you to come with me," he said.

"Mamoru-sensei, what is the meaning of this?" But Mamoru did not answer; he simply beckoned for Kiyoshi to follow him.

They walked through the blackened streets and back alleys of the Hidden Rain, finally coming to the ANBU headquarters.

"But, Mamoru-sensei, I already completed my mission…" Mamoru simply beckoned to him again, this time to follow him into the headquarters.

When they entered, several of the team captains were there, all with the same grim expressions upon their faces as Mamoru.

"Why do you all look so grave? What's going on?" demanded Kiyoshi.

One of the captains stepped forward to address him.

"Aoyama Takara is dead."

"What?"

"Your sister is dead."

"You lie."

"Why would I lie to you, Kiyoshi?"

Grief clutched suddenly at Kiyoshi's heart. But there was no time for tears. Not yet.

"Where is her body?"

"We have already buried it. I don't think you would have wanted to see it, for you wouldn't have recognized her, maimed as she was."

"Why? Why is my sister dead?"

The normally emotionless ANBU captain now wore a look of anxiety on his face. "While you were away, Hidden Rain experienced a night raid. The victims were mostly children, slaughtered in their sleep or taken prisoner. Takara was one of those taken prisoner…the raiders demanded one of the Rain's most important secrets, one that even I do not know, for the release of the prisoners. But the Hokage would not back down. And so…"

"And so she was sacrificed, for the sake of the village," Kiyoshi said bitterly.

"Yes. I'm sure you, of all people, can understand, Kiyoshi. Your clan willingly gave their lives for the Rain and—"

"And for what?" said Kiyoshi angrily. "To simply continue the bloody cycle of death and destruction? No, I can see now that they all died valiantly, but in vain. In vain! I am sure, thousands of years ago, there was a saying that if one small life is preserved, then all are. But I can see that it is not upheld here as virtuous, but traitorous." And with that, he stormed from the headquarters. The other captains and Mamoru let him go.

The next day, Kiyoshi's team patiently awaited him. But he never arrived. And no one ever saw him again. It was a great loss to Hidden Rain, people said, that the last of the noble Aoyama clan had amounted to nothing but a faithless missing-nin. None ever expected him to have been apprenticed by the Akatsuki.

* * *

_How had it come to pass? _Kiyoshi now thought to himself. _Howhave Ibecome so twisted by anguish? _He had been reduced to naught but a hollow shell, finding no joy in the prospect of living. Nothing could make him feel happiness as he once had; he was not like the rest of the Akatsuki, for he had no pleasure in bloodlust, nor did he find solace in the mere challenge of his role in life. 

But there still existed a hope, however small, for Kiyoshi. Kirei. So like in manner and appearance to Takara, Kiyoshi sometimes found himself forgetting she was not his sister. Kirei could not know this, of course, for Kiyoshi's emotions were never decipherable, and he forever kept his silence about them. But it was rather unusual, to Kirei and the rest of the Akatsuki, how very protective of her Kiyoshi was.

When Kiyoshi had found her three and a half years ago, she had seemed rather weak in spite of her obstinate determination. Most of the Akatsuki had agreed on abandoning her; they thought it likely that she must not be a jinchuuriki after all. But Kiyoshi had told them, almost desperately, that he could train her. He had no traveling companion like the rest of the Akatsuki and he would not mind acting as her ward. They let him, for at the time, he did not seem to be much of an asset to the organization. But now, they suspected that he had advanced beyond some of them, and Kirei seemed to be distracting him from Akatsuki's true objectives. And Kiyoshi knew this. So he had to act upon his feelings before it was too late.

"Kirei," he said to her in the afternoon hours of another sultry day, "I need to talk to you about something."

"What about?" answered Kirei quizzically.

Kiyoshi sighed. "I release you."

"What?"

"All these years I have trained you. You have been under an apprenticeship of sorts, eternally bound to me. But as of today, that bond is broken."

"So you're saying I'm…free?" She hesitated on the last word, as though afraid to say it lest she be disappointed.

"Yes."

"But, Kiyoshi-sama…why…?"

"The reasons for my actions are too painful for me to speak of. Be glad of your freedom, and go find that friend you used to speak so fondly of to me when you were young. As for your training in ghost ninjutsu, I have laid the foundation. You, Kirei, have the capacity to surpass some of the members of the Akatsuki, perhaps even all if you gain full control of the demon inside of you, though it will take time. Continue channeling spirits and you will begin to understand. I bid you a very fond farewell." And with that, he loped off into the pines on the edge of the meadow they had been training in.

"Kiyoshi, wait!" Kirei cried. He paused and looked back at her. "Thank you." She could think of nothing more to say, so Kiyoshi departed and left her alone among the silver grasses.

* * *

Kakashi had informed Kaya of all he knew about Kirei's current situation and where she had run off to the last time Kaya had seen her, those many years ago. Kaya thought long and deeply about everything he told her that day, for she had never expected to see Kirei again. 

A few days later, Kakashi spoke with her once more after Team 7's other members had gone home.

"Kaya, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura have informed you of the untimely death of Konoha's previous Hokage, correct?" he began.

"Yes."

"Well, his death was caused by none other than Orochimaru. Not only did he kill the Third, he also destroyed most of Konoha and got rid of many talented ninja in the process. Our forces have been cut in half and Jounin such as myself have been doing twice as many missions. In fact, I have one that will interfere with my joining you on this next team mission."

"You won't be able to accompany us to the Tea Country?"

"No. But you won't be going to the Todori Burning Fire Race either. You'll be searching for that old friend of yours with a Tokubetsu Jounin, Mitarashi Anko, and an ANBU member, Morino Ibiki."

"Why is Konoha so interested in my friend Kirei?"

"Because our village has had problems involving jinchuuriki and the Akatsuki before. Someone from Konoha was at one point attacked by Uchiha Itachi and his traveling companion, Kisame, because of the powerful demon inside of him. Akatsuki seems to be gathering all jinchuuriki to them, but no one knows why. Most likely it is for the untapped power they possess. If we can afford to slow Akatsuki's progress in any way we can, we will. And thus, you being Kirei's greatest friend, I thought it wise to send you to retrieve her; with sufficient protection, of course. Your presence will be vital in persuading her to come to Konoha."

"But, Sensei, how did you know she was my friend?"

"Years ago, there was an alliance between the Cloud and the Leaf. It has long since dissipated, but old friendships do not vanish so easily. The ANBU of both our village and your old village completed many missions together during the time we were allied, and as I was in ANBU at the time, I met your mother. We became good friends, and she confided much in me, though I can't say as much of myself. One thing she confided in me was that of the remarkable tale of your finally making a friend and losing her just as quickly. Based on her description, this girl sounded rather unusual in appearance. What normal child had eyes of pale yellow shade? I asked around the Cloud and found that she was one of the jinchuuriki."

"Ah," said Kaya blandly. "I will go."

"Good. Thank you, Kaya. You cannot even begin to realize how important this is. Now come with me; you have a Jounin waiting to make your acquaintance."

Kaya followed Kakashi through the cluttered streets of Konoha to a small apartment complex near the center of the village. They entered, and after Kakashi shared a few words with the concierge, headed for apartment 12B. Upon their arrival at the nondescript little door, Kakashi knocked softly.

"Coming!" a voice cried from somewhere inside.

All of a sudden, the door opened quite quickly to reveal a fairly short woman of about the same age as Kakashi with wild purple hair and dark, mischievous eyes.

"Ah, so this is the Kanzaki!" She paused, looking at teacher and student in turn. "Well, come in, come in, don't just stand there." The two of them walked in and the woman shut the door behind them.

"My name," she said with relish, "is Mitarashi Anko, and you would do well to remember it. And you are Kanzaki…?"

"Kaya," said Kaya quickly. This woman was a bit overwhelming…

"Kaya! Pretty name! And this is about that mission we are to go on to retrieve the rogue jinchuuriki, is it not?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Well, then…" Anko said a bit more seriously. "To work. From the information I have gathered, this Kirei seems to be somewhere in the vicinity of the Village of Grass, but entirely alone and wandering aimlessly from town to town. It should not be difficult to track her down, but I am worried that the Akatsuki might've already sent someone after her. So we have to work quickly. We can't leave tonight, because Ibiki is off on a mission for ANBU, but by tomorrow morning he shall return and we will leave as soon as possible. Though Kakashi has requested that you continue your training as usual tomorrow, you should be prepared to leave at any given time, Kaya."

"Yes, Anko-san."

"Come, Kaya, there's no need for formality. Just call me Anko." She grinned at Kaya and Kaya smiled weakly back. "Well then, now that everything's settled, you two can head on home and I can finish my dango!"

As Kakashi shut the door behind himself he turned to Kaya.

"She's quite overbearing, isn't she?" said Kakashi boredly.

Kaya laughed nervously. She did not acknowledge that those were her thoughts exactly.

* * *

The next day, training continued for Team 7 as it always did, the only difference being that Kakashi briefly explained why Kaya would be leaving for a time while the rest of Team 7 completed its own mission in the Tea Country. Soon enough, Anko arrived, along with the tall, hulking figure of Morino Ibiki. 

"Goodbye, everyone," said Kaya to the team in general. "I'll miss you all. Good luck on your own mission."

"Good luck on yours, Kaya!" Naruto cried, grinning.

"Yes, good luck," said Sakura.

"Be careful, Kaya," Sasuke said in even tones. Sasuke looked quite earnestly at her as he said this, though only for a moment. Kaya smiled slightly at him and nodded, before waving to everyone.

"Well then," said Anko loudly. "Off we go!"


	10. Leavetaking

a note from the desk of ethereal damsel

This is the final chapter of _Catalyst_. The new arc of the fic (about 2 years after this arc) will be published under the title _Pathos_. Thank you to all of those who reviewed, favorited, and put this fic on alert.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.

* * *

Kaya and her companions left Konoha, heading for the Village of Grass. Relations between Konoha and the Grass had been quite strained of late, so many precautions had to be taken. The three of them journeyed far off the beaten path, doubling back many times in order to assure that they were not being followed. But Kaya would not allow herself to tire, for she anxiously awaited the moment she would see her old friend. 

They traveled through lands Kaya had never seen before; lands of verdant, rolling hills and patches of forests that were sparse, but lush. After about a week and a half of searching through village, dell, and glade, they finally came upon the silver mead enclosed by the lonely fringe of pine trees that had been Kirei and Kiyoshi's training ground.

"There!" Anko hissed to Ibiki, "Beneath that pine!"

And so Kaya again laid eyes upon her friend. Though the years since their last meeting were many, she had not changed much. She was still quite small in stature, with gingery hair and pale yellow eyes. And she still adorned herself with clothing of such bright, contrasting colors that one would more readily guess her occupation to be that of a circus performer rather than that of a ninja.

Upon moving closer, Kaya found that Kirei appeared to be in deep, pensive thought. This came as a surprise to her, for Kirei didn't seem to be the kind of person to think deeply or pensively about anything.

"What should we do?" asked Kaya of Anko. "I thought maybe if I just talked to her…"

"Are you kidding? She'll jump right out of her skin."

"Even if she does, there is a way I can make her defenseless for a long enough period of time during which I can speak to her of our intentions."

"Ah, you mean…"

"Yes. I've been honing it for the past few years. And from what information you told me the ANBU has gathered of her, she should be unable to defend herself against this handicap."

"Very well. Proceed." Ibiki did not protest against this plan, for he naturally knew what they were speaking of already.

Kaya leapt swiftly from the pine in which she had perched and performed a complex series of hand seals.

"Lightning Element: Blitzen Haze!" she cried before Kirei had the chance to make a move. A flash of radiant white light accompanied by a thunderous sound pierced the sky and Kirei cried out, suddenly deprived of vision.

"Kirei," said Kaya as calmly as she could, "don't be afraid. I'm your—"

"I CAN'T SEE!" Kirei shrieked, clawing in horror at her eyes.

"The blindness will pass within the next five minutes or so. I'm sorry I had to expose you to the Blitzen Haze—"

"Blitzen Haze?" said Kirei, a look of consternation on her face. "That means you are…"

"The last Kanzaki, Kanzaki Kaya."

"Kaya?" Kirei said in utter disbelief. "Is it really you?"

"Yes."

"I thought for sure you were dead when I heard about your parents…but you must be Kaya, because she's the only one who can use that technique." She paused. "I have to thank you for what you did that day so many years ago. Your kindness is the reason I've continued to live."

"You're…welcome."

At that moment, Ibiki appeared behind Kirei and knocked her out with a quick blow to the head.

"Ibiki-san! What are you doing?" cried Kaya in shock.

"We don't know what sort of trouble she would cause if we told her of our plans for her. She might not have wished to go to Konoha voluntarily. After all, she has spent the majority of her life in the care of an Akatsuki member."

"I suppose you're right…" Kaya said reluctantly.

And so, with Ibiki carrying Kirei's limp frame, they departed.

* * *

When they arrived at Konoha, Kaya discovered the reason Ibiki had accompanied them. 

"As a member of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force, it is my duty to question her, Kaya. It is almost doubtless that she has developed some form of loyalty towards the Akatsuki and I must overcome that barrier in order to gather all the information I possibly can about them."

"But surely you won't—"

"Torture her? No. There are myriad other ways to overcome such barriers."

"Alright…But please, be as kind to her as your profession allows you to be, for she has been through so much."

Ibiki nodded and then departed. As he left the ANBU Headquarters, Kakashi entered.

"We found her, Sensei! I was surprised to find that she hadn't changed all that much. In fact she—"

"Kaya," Kakashi said solemnly. "Sasuke is gone."


End file.
